Morning sickness

• What is morning sickness?

• What causes morning sickness?

• Natural remedies

• Other ways to help

What is morning sickness?

Morning sickness is a common side effect of pregnancy, experienced by eight out of ten pregnant women. The name “morning sickness” is a little misleading as this type of sickness can happen at any time of day or night, although it is more commonly experienced in the morning.

Morning sickness begins sometime around the fifth week of pregnancy and can last up to the sixteenth week, although some women feel a little queasy throughout their pregnancy.

Symptoms can be worse if a woman is stressed, or expecting twins or triplets.

What causes morning sickness?

Morning sickness is thought to be connected to the changes in hormonal levels that happen when a woman becomes pregnant. The hormone human chorionic gonadotrophin is produced in large amounts in early pregnancy, along with estrogen and thyroxine which can cause nausea.

Other causes of morning sickness may be a disturbance in serotonin levels or a digestive infection although this is rare.An increase in sensitivity to odors can also help exacerbate the morning sickness.

Natural remedies

• Homeopathy has been traditionally used to relieve the symptoms of morning sickness. Ask your practitioner or doctor for advice on how homeopathy can help you.

• Acupuncture and acupressure can be a great way to relieve symptoms of morning sickness. You can buy acupressure bracelets to wear all day in order to stimulate the acupressure point associated with relieving symptoms of morning sickness.

• Reflexology can be effective in treating morning sickness but may make symptoms worse for the first 24 hours after the treatment as your body begins to deal with the symptoms.

• Hypnotherapy can be beneficial if you think that your morning sickness has been made worse by anxiety and stress.

Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should consult a doctor before taking any medicines.

Other ways to help

• Ginger and peppermint can help relieve symptoms of morning sickness. Try drinking ginger or peppermint tea or chewing gum.

• Vitamin B6 can help with morning sickness so try eating foods rich in vitamin B6 such as fish, eggs, yeast extract, brown rice, soy beans, avocado and bananas.

• Ease into the day if you feel sick first thing in the morning. Keep plain biscuits or crackers by the bed so you can line your stomach before getting out of bed. This can help settle the stomach.

• Get plenty of sleep if possible. Feeling tired can make morning sickness worse.

• Eat little and often to avoid putting too much pressure on the stomach and to keep the blood sugar levels steady.

• Drink plenty of fluids, but try not to eat and drink at the same time as this can exacerbate the problem.

• Try to avoid cooking or being around strong smelling food as this can make morning sickness worse.

• Manage your stress levels as stress can exacerbate your symptoms.

• Avoid greasy and acidic foods, if possible.